Sole-measuring machine



W. C. STEWART. SOLE MEASURING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, I915- 1,358,794. I

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

UNiTED STATES PATENT ()FFIQE.

WILLIAIfi G. STEWART, 033 SNAlaIPSGOT'I", IVIASSAGHUSETTS, ASSIGN'OR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO UNITED HOE MACHINERY CORPGRATION, 0'5 PATTERSON, NEVT JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SOLE-MEASURING MACHINE.

Application filed June 9,

To all whom may concern clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved sole measuring machine.

in the manufacture of high grade shoes it is desirable for reasons well known in the shoe making art, to skive out the shank portion of an outsole on both sides. The blanks from which the outsoles are made consist of block and died out soles, which generally have very different contour from that of the finished sole to be made from them. These sole blanks are usually made in only few sizes which are large enough to accommodate the great variety of sizes of shoe soles, and the blanks have only one width which is wide enough to make all the different widths and style widtss of soles. When treating the sole blank to make a predetermined type of outsole, it is necessary that the portion operated upon should be correctly located to get the'proper finish of the shoe and a uniformity of work.

The object of the present invention is to provide a sole measuring machine to determine the position of subsequent operations on the blank to produce a finished. outsole of a predetermined type from the blank. In accordance with this object, one feature of the invention contemplates the provision in a sole measuring machine of gages for measuring a sole blank, and means connected with the gages to indicate for the blank measured the location thereon of subsequent operations in producing a finished sole of a predetermined type.

Each type of sole has certain features to distinguish it from other types of soles. The size and width of a sole are the main distinguishing features. All of the different kinds of soles, such as mens, boys, womens, etc., may have different ratios with regard to the length and width of a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

1915. Serial N0. 33,038.

sole, thus changing the shape. The different kinds of soles have different styles, such large, small and regular, each style having a different width. The location of the ball and breast lines ofthe sole or the shank portion depends on some, and it may be on ll, of these features, according to the particular design of the shoe to be made. These features, for the purpose of convenience, are hereinafter termed the control ling characteristics of a sole.

In the preferred form of the invention, the measuring machine is used to measure the shank portion of the sole to determine the length and width of the shank skiving to be made on the blank sole measured. For measuring the shank, the machine illustrated in the drawings is provided with adjustments to provide in the measurement for all the characteristics which control. and modify the contour and location of the shank portion of a finished sole. Further, the resulting indication of the measurement is employed in conjunction with a shank reducing machine, to give an index number to determine the setting of the sole positioning parts of the skiving machine in locating the skiving in accordance with the measurement.

These and other features of the invention consist in certain arrangements and constructions of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

. In the drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention, Figure l is a plan view of the improved measuring machine showing a blank sole between the measuring gages; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail view showing a portion of the indicating arm of the machine.

Then using the measuring machine with blank soles, the sole blank 10 is forced down on to a support between a base gage 12 and an indicating gage 14. By this operation the indicating gage 14 is moved along the machine frame to oscillate an indicating arm 16 about an index dial 18 to obtain a reading. The base gage 12 consists of a slidable plate having a gage face 20 at one end and a pointer 22 at the other end to register with graduations 24 on a kind plate 26. The base 'gage slide is provided with a slct 28 for the reception of an adjusting s row 30 and with a pin 32 in its lower face which works in a slot 34: in the machine base 36. The slot 28 provides for the adjustment of the base gage plate along the kind scale 24 to set the gage for the d'fferent kinds of shoe soles. This kind plate is slidably mounted upon the machine base 36 and is adapted to be adjusted with reference to a pointer 38 attached to the ma hine base, which registers with graduations of a-style scale. The kind plate 26 has a slot 42 for an adjusting screw 44 and a slot 46 for a guide pin 48, and the adjustment of this plate for the different style widths of soles serves to vary the setting of the base gage for different kinds of shoes.

\Vith this construiticn the setting of the base gage may be varied for different kinds of soles and for different style widths of the different kinds of soles.

The indicating gage 14 consists of a movable plate having a gage face 50 on one end for contacting the sole, and is pivotally connected at the other end to the indicating lever 16. The indicating gage plate is held in an operative position by means of a guide screw 52 which loosely fits in a slot 5a in the plate. The indicating lever 16 is provided at its upper end with a size scale plate 56 which'is adapted to register with the index scale 58 on the plate 18. A size scale 60 on the plate 56, which designates the dif ferent sizes of soles, must agree with the sole kind setting of the base gage, that is, the different kinds of soles such as mens, ladies, youths, etc., have sizes peculiar to them, so that when measuring soles of'a mens kind, the size scale 60 must have size graduations to" agree with mens kind of shoe soles, and, if measuring soles of a. ladies kind, the size scale 60 must have sizes to agree with the sizes of ladies kind of shoe soles. F or this purpose a set of size scales are provided for each of the different kinds of soles. The index scale plate 18 is mounted on an indicating arm 62 of the machine base and has a slot 64 in which is mounted a guide screw 66, and a slot 68 in which is mounted a hand adjusting screw 70. The index scale may be adjusted by means of the slots 64 and 68 and adjusting screw 70 to modify the setting of the index scale for different widths of soles. To indicate the extent of adjustment, the scale plate is provided with a set of grad'uations 72, to

specify the widths of soles, which move un- V der a pointer 74 secured to the indicating arm 62. r

The scale arm 16, which moves adjacent the index scale, is normally held against a set screw 76 mounted in the indicating arm of sole.

I do not limit myself, therefore, to

the gages against the tension of the spring 78. When set for one kind of sole, the gages normally rest in close proximity so that they will be in position to measure the narrowest sole of that kind that is to be operated upon. When the sole has been placed between the gages,the size scale on the scale arm 16 will automatically register with the index scale 58 to give a reference numeral for the setting of the sole positioning parts of my shank skiving machine illustrated and described in my co-pending application Serial No. 33,039, filed June 9, 1915. The reading of the index scale with reference to the size scale for the specific sole blank measured shows the largest size of. finishedsole that can be made from the blank, and the index number of the scale 58 indicates the setting which must be made on the edge gage dial of the skiving machine of my co-pending application in order to get the proper shank skiving for that size n For instance, with the sole in the machine illustrated in Fig. 1, it maybe seen that the sole is wide enough to make a 13 size finished sole, and the index setting of the edge gage of the skiving machine of my co-pending application will be zero. It may also be seen what the index setting of the edge gage will be for skiving this particular sole for making any of the sizes'of soles between 6 and 13.

While the measuring machine illustrated in the drawings is particularly adapted for measuring the width of shank of a sole blank to get an index setting for the sole positioning parts of a shank reducing machine, it is obvious that this width measuring machine could be employed for measuring any portion of a sole to determine the character of operation to be performed on the blank in producing a finished sole, and

a measuring machine for giving an index number for a shank reducing machine.

The nature and scope of the present in vention having been indicated and the preferred form of the invention havingbeen specifically described, what is claimed as new is: r

A sole machine, having in combination, a base gage, a kind plate for the base gage, an indicator gage, a size plate for the indicator gage, connections between the size plate and indicator gage, and an index dial for the indicator gage cooperating with the size plate. 7

WILLIAM C. STEWART. 

